When Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in September, 2017, it destroyed 90 percent of the cell sites on the island; knocking out most communication with the outside world and significantly hampering relief effort. AT&T responded by deploying its Flying Cell on Wings (COW) – a drone outfitted with LTE radios and antennas to provide temporary voice, data, and Internet service in Puerto Rico. As with other national disasters, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS or drone) technology…

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Proposed UAS Remote Identification Rule at White House for Review

By Matt Clark & Lisa Ellman

September 19, 2019

White House doors now open to meeting with stakeholders about drone Remote ID In a much anticipated development, the Department of Transportation has just sent to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) the proposed rulemaking for remote identification (remote ID) of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS, or so-called “drones”). This is big news and an important step in moving drone policymaking forward in the United States to enable expanded commercial UAS…

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Canada’s New Drone Regulations Take Effect: How They Compare to the U.S. Regulations

By Matt Clark, Christina Isnardi & Lisa Ellman

June 25, 2019

Canada’s drone industry is taking off. Like its neighbor to the south, the commercial remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) industry is growing quickly. In Canada, the industry has doubled in size every two years over the past decade. The economic impact of the expanding commercial drone industry in Canada and the U.S. is expected to surpass $7 billion by 2024. While the economic impact and societal benefits of commercial drone use in Canada are significant,…

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Streamline to the Stars: FAA Seeks to Deregulate Commercial Space Launch and Reentry Licensing Requirements

By Christina Isnardi & Matt Clark

June 7, 2019

The Evolving Space Launch Industry and the Need for Streamlined Regulations Commercial space launches have recently skyrocketed in quantity and complexity and the economic impact of these changes will be substantial. World-wide, the commercial space industry is expected to grow dramatically and Goldman Sachs analysts predict the sector would grow to about $1 trillion by 2040. As for quantity, the launch rate in the U.S. alone has increased from 9 licensed launches in 2015 to…

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Expanding Operations: U.S. Department of Transportation Announces Regulatory Actions for Expanded Drone Operations and Drone Security

By Matt Clark, Patrick Rizzi & Lisa Ellman

February 4, 2019

The benefits of commercial drones are substantial. However, current rules limit the commercial marketplace from being able to take advantage of some of drone technology’s most obvious safety and efficiency benefits. To capitalize on the life-saving and economic benefits of drones, companies need to be able to fly in urban and suburban environments, where people are. To respond to disasters, they may need to fly near cities. Countless commercial drone use cases rely on the…

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New FAA Exemption Issued to Avitas Systems, a GE venture, Will Help Expand Beyond Visual Line of Sight Drone Operations

By Matt Clark & Lisa Ellman

October 25, 2018

The commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or drones) market is taking off in the United States and around the world. Recent innovations have transformed what used to be considered toys into powerful tools that provide substantial safety and efficiency benefits to the commercial industry, governmental institutions, and the public. However, many of the most promising drone-use cases require the ability to fly long distances beyond the range of human sight. Whether drones are being used…

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No Fly Zone: FCC Proposes $2.8 Million Penalty for Marketing Non-Compliant Drone AV Accessories

By Lisa Ellman, Trey Hanbury, Mark Brennan & Matt Clark

June 11, 2018

The Federal Communications Commission is proposing to bring a $2.8 million penalty against HobbyKing for marketing drone-attachable audio/video (AV) transmitters that operate on unauthorized frequencies. For marketers and retailers of unmanned aircraft systems (“UAS”) and attachable devices, this penalty signals that the FCC is cracking down on the makers and marketers of noncompliant UAS and UAS-attachable devices. This penalty also serves as a reminder to operators, who are required to have an FCC license to…

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Controversial UAS Remote ID and Tracking ARC Report Published By FAA Yesterday

December 20, 2017

Last year, for the first time, the FAA broadly authorized commercial drones here in the United States. Since that time, the commercial drone industry has grown to a level few could have imagined only a couple of years ago. Technology has moved quickly forward, and what used to be considered toys are now powerful commercial tools that are bringing economic and safety benefits to a wide range of industries. As drone technology has improved, we…

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New FAA Waiver Issued to CNN Will Help Expand Commercial Drone Operations Over People

August 15, 2017

Drones are the future of transportation and information technology. Recent innovations have transformed what used to be considered toys into powerful tools that provide substantial safety and efficiency benefits to commercial industry, educational institutions, humanitarian NGOs, and the public. Once properly enabled, the integration of drones into our nation’s National Airspace System will save countless lives and have a significant economic impact here in the United States. However, many of the safety and efficiency benefits…

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It’s That Time of Year Again: How Congress’ Proposed FAA Reauthorization Bills Could Impact the Commercial Drone Industry

July 17, 2017

In the last few weeks, both houses of Congress have released draft FAA Reauthorization bills to continue FAA funding which runs out this fall. While the House bill’s proposal to privatize air traffic control in the United States has garnered the most attention, both the House and Senate bills contain lengthy and significant legislative language that could have a dramatic effect on commercial and hobbyist drone operations in the United States. Below is a brief…

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Current Legal and Industry Insight for Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

Blog Authors

How is the UAS Industry Experiencing the COVID-19 Crisis?

Proposed UAS Remote Identification Rule at White House for Review

Canada’s New Drone Regulations Take Effect: How They Compare to the U.S. Regulations

Streamline to the Stars: FAA Seeks to Deregulate Commercial Space Launch and Reentry Licensing Requirements

Expanding Operations: U.S. Department of Transportation Announces Regulatory Actions for Expanded Drone Operations and Drone Security

New FAA Exemption Issued to Avitas Systems, a GE venture, Will Help Expand Beyond Visual Line of Sight Drone Operations

No Fly Zone: FCC Proposes $2.8 Million Penalty for Marketing Non-Compliant Drone AV Accessories

Controversial UAS Remote ID and Tracking ARC Report Published By FAA Yesterday

New FAA Waiver Issued to CNN Will Help Expand Commercial Drone Operations Over People

It’s That Time of Year Again: How Congress’ Proposed FAA Reauthorization Bills Could Impact the Commercial Drone Industry

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